The time served gave the rapper an opportunity to have a moment of clarity.

“It was a time for me to sit back and just refocus the whole way I do things, man,” Gucci said. “The times away from my fans just made me want to grind, get in the studio, go to my shows and appreciate my job and what I do now.”

And for a brief but promising stint, what he did musically made him one of the hottest rappers in hip hop. In order to regain that shine in the spotlight the lyrically-lite wordsmith is banking on the success of his upcoming collaborative album, BAYTL, with Bay Area wildcard V-Nasty.

"I think people are going to be surprised just how good the music sounds,” he said of his project with the controversial rapper who has been criticized for her use of the N-word. “A lot of people are going to be surprised.”

BAYTL will be in stores tomorrow December 13.

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.